The ubiquitous Focusrite Scalett has been part of many a DAWless setup for the past decade or more. There popularity came about from there low price and prosumer quality. The 2i2 as the name suggests features 2 inputs and 2 outputs, and you can move up to the 4i4, 18i8 and rack mount 18i20. They are plentiful on the used market and whilst some producers might look down on the little red box, its a compelling option for someone new to DAWless to capture their music into a computer.
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Numbers Game
Do be mindful that as you move up the range the models numbers are a bit cheeky and only represents the total number of interfaces the unit is capable of when adding an ADAT expansion and not necessarily what it has on the panel. So the 18i8 has 4 analog preamps, 4 analog line inputs 2 Digital S/PDIF inputs and then 8 Digital ADAT inputs, that can only be utilised if you connect the ADAT socket on the Scarlet to an external ADAT interface such as the Behringer X, Scarlett X. Nevertheless it gives you an upgrade path if your DAWless setup grows.
Generation Game
The first generation of Focusrite Scarletts in the distinct red aluminum lauched in 2011. The price point was excellent, but you can find reviews with folks complaining about various issues.
The second generation came along around 2016 and whilst looking physically very similar, many of the original issues were resolved and the stability was now excellent. I have run a couple of these Gen 2s for about 4 years without seeing any major issues.
The third generation launched in 2019 and was a smaller update compared to the gen1 to gen2 changes. This introduced the Air button and USB-C connectivity (yay!)
The Gen 4 in 2023 brought in the Rednet converters, trickledown engineering from thir high end range, which should both lower the noise floor and improve the transients giving more clarity to your layers of tracks.
So if you are looking for a used deal on a scarlett interface I would suggest starting with the Gen2’s unless USB-C is important to you, then go for the Gen3 or above.
Also for a DAWless setup, the Solo model is not so useful, so the 2i2 and upwards would be my recommendation, choosing the model based on the number of simultaneous tracks you think you might like to record.